Portable track-reinforcement.



's. BOHANNAN.

PORTABLE TRACK REINFORCEMENT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23, I916.

Patented July 3, 1917.

amm'iioc Es PATN ROBERT S. BOHANNAN, OF ENSLEY, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL STEEL PROD- UCTS COMPANY, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, A CORPORATION 033 ALABAMA.

PORTABLE TRACK-REINFORCEMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 1917..

Application filed June 23, 1916; Serial No. 105,452.

To cZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, ROBERT S. BOHANNAN, a citizen of the United States of America, residingat Ensley, in the county of Jefierson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Track-Reinforcements, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to what I term a portable track reinforcement, the, object and purpose of which is to provide a simple and portable apparatus by means of which the railway tracks may be reinforced to safely and securely support their loads when it is necessary to, excavate under them.

One object of my invention is to eliminate the usual delays incident to placing timbers under or shoring up tracks, when excavating under them, and to provide a portable apparatus which can be very easily and quickly installed.

My invention is adapted to provide as many reinforcing supports as may be required for the track rails and, is interchangeable for use with rails of different sections.

My invention is especially designed to present no obstruction to passing'trains nor to excavating work under the tracks. In its preferred embodiment the invention consists of a pair of supports which are laid 011 each side of and parallel with the track rail to be supported and which receive any desired number of pairs of hangers to which are connected track supporting bars adapted to be passed under and to effectively reinforce the track rail when under its load. Preferably this bar has its bottom edge tapered from the center toward each end so that taper wedge keys can be used for making fast its ends in the hangers which are preferably detached from the excavating rails so that they may be adjusted to any desired position along the same and so that as many may be used as are required in each particular case.

My invention further comprises the novel details of construction and arrangements of parts, which in their preferred embodiment only are hereinafter described in detail, reference being had to the accompanyin drawings which form a part of this speci cation, and in which Figure 1 shows my apparatus in plan view applied to a track rail..

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1..

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. t is an end view of Fig. 3, omitting the supporting rails.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

I have illustrated my invention in connection with a track rail'l beneath which it is desirable for any purpose to make an exca vation 2, such excavation, as illustrated being of suitable size to receive a drain tile 3 passing under the tracks. My apparatus is shown reinforcing the unsupported portion of the rail 1 that spans this excavation 2 and it comprises a pair of portable supporting rails l which are arranged one on each side of the track rail 1 and spaced therefrom sufliciently to clear the wheels.

These supporting rails at are made long enough to span and extend substantially beyond the average width of the excavations to be made under the track. These rails 4: will rest upon the cross ties 5 on each side of the excavation and should have their ends tapered down at 6 so as to avoidcatching any hanging part on the train. As my preferred form of hanger, I provide a saddle block 7 formed of a heavy steel bar bent to an approximately U-shape. These blocks have a flat top portion 8, adapted to rest on the tread or top of the rail 4: from which point the block sides are inclined outwardly to clear the rails base and then bent down into parallelism. These parallel sides start at about the level of the top of the ties. I provide vertically elongated slots 9 in these parallel sides of the saddle blocks and these slots extend up to and slightly above the base of the rail 4. A track sup porting bar 10 is inserted under the track rail 1, a suitable hole being dug between the cross ties to permit this bar to be placed. In its center this bar has a raised shoulder 11 which engages the base of the rail 1 and preferably corresponds in width with the base of the widest rail section. This shoulder 11 will be raised enough to let it engage the base of rails that are mountedron the tie plates and at the same time bring its ends-level with the cross ties on which the supporting rails 4 will rest. On each side of this shoulder the top of the bar is level to receive the supporting rails 4:. The bottom edge of the bar 10 slopes from its center upwardly toward each end forming tapering ends which are adapted to be inserted through the slots 9 of a pair of saddle blocks, which latter have first been placed astride the rails 41: and shifted into transverse alinement. lhe ends of the bar project substantially beyond the outer side pair of saddle blocks that support it and when the parts are thus assembled, taper keys 12 are driven from each side inwardly between the bottoms of the slots 9 and the taper bottom edges 'of the bar 10, thus clamping and effectively locking the rail supporting bar 10 to the supporting rails 4L and tying these rails 4: together and in properly spaced relation to the track rail 1. It will be noted that the raised center shoulder 11 on the bar 10 will prevent these saddle blocks creeping too close to the rail 1. The slope of the top sides of the saddle blocks is such that they will clear the car wheels even if the blocks shift into engagement with the base of the track rail 1. If desired the inner ends of the keys may be provided with a plurality of holes 13 through which cotter keys or any other suitable fastening means may be inserted to positively prevent the 'keys working loose. As many of these supporting bars 10 may be mounted on the supporting rails 4 in the manner described as will furnish a strong and safe reinforcen-rent for the unsupported portion of the track rail 1, when under its load, and it will be noted that when my apparatus has been applied it offers no obstruction to the excavating operation under the tracks nor to the passing trains.

It will be obvious that the track reinforcing apparatus which I have thus described in detail may be widely modified without departing from the really essential features of its construction which may be said to consist of suitable supporting members disposed parallel with the track and bridging the excavation and suitable cross supports for the track rail suspended from said main supporting members. When I refer to the portable 'sup orts as rails I mean to include any suitable metal or timber support capable of bearing the load to be imposed on it in reinforcing the out under portions of the track rails.

space the supports from the interposed rail, substantially as described.

'2. The combination with a railroad track rail and its supporting cross ties, of a temporary support for portions of the track comprising a pair of rails one disposed on each side of and adjacent to the rail to be supported, and hangers suspended from said pair of rails and comprising a cross member disposed between the ties and adapted to engage the base of the track rail, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a railroad track rail, of a temporary support for a portion of said rail comprising a pair of portable rails disposed one on each side of the track rail and in. spaced parallel relation therewith, and a track rail supporting means passing under the track rail and over the portable rails, and means to make said supporting means fast to the portable rails.

4. The combination with a track rail, of a temporary support for portions thereof comprising a pair of portable rails, one of which is disposed on each side of and suitably spaced from said track rail, a track *bar, and hangers mounted over the portable rails and detachably connected to the ends of said bar.

5. In an apparatus of the character de scribed, the combination with a track rail, of a pair of portable rails spaced to receive between them said track rail, supports for the track rail hung from said portable rails, and means to hold said portable rails spaced a predetermined distance from the track rail, substantially as described.

6. In an apparatus of the character 'described, in combination, a pair of portable rails, saddle blocks adapted to straddle .and

hang below said rails, a track supporting bar mounted in the lower ends ofsaid-saddle blocks on said rails, means to fasten said bar to said pair of saddle blocks, and stops on said bar to engage said saddle blocks and hold the portable rails in predetermined spaced relationship.

7 In combination, a pair of :portable rails, inverted U-shaped saddle blocks adapted to straddle and hang below vsaid rails, said saddle blocks having alining slots in their lower ends, a track supporting bar passed through the alining slots in each pair of opposed saddle blocks, and wedge means to interlock said rails, saddle blocks and "bars in operating relation, substantially as described.

'8. In combination, a'pair'of portable rails, a plurality of saddle blocks adapted to straddle and hang below said rails, there being opposite vertically elongated slots in the lower ends of said blocks, a rail'supporting bar adapted to be inserted through the slots of a pair ofsaddle blocks, in which .position it en ages the base of said portable rails, the bottom edge of said rail supporting bar bein'g tapered upwardly and outwardly from the center, wedge means to clamp said bar and saddle blocks to the 1 portable rails, and a raised center shoulder 011 said bar forming a track rail support, substantially as described.

9. In combination, a track supporting bar having a raised center shoulder with horizontal supporting surfaces on each side thereof and with bottom tapering surfaces, of saddle blocks having slots to receive the ends of said bar, wedge keys adapted to be inserted in said slots to co-act with the taper surfaces of said bar, and supporting rails over which the saddle blocks are hung and which engage said supporting surfaces of the bar when the wedge keys are driven home.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ROBERT S. BOHANNAN.

Witness NOMIE WELSH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, I). 0. 

